by guest reviewer and library patron Amy Canike-Collins

Please turn to page 25 of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Spend five minutes reading what authors Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois offer as their first ultra simple basic bread recipe. By the next day you will be able to bake a wholesome, delicious and preservative-free loaf of bread.

For a few concise confidence-building techniques and explanations, review the preceding twenty-five pages. Ignore anything and everything you have previously experienced and know about bread baking. Trust them completely. Do exactly as they instruct. Trust me on this.

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day was picked up at the library early one evening. The very next morning I mixed a batch of their white, free-form loaf master recipe for boule. By that afternoon, we ate our first successful loaf of beautiful bread.

No fuss, no muss, no kneading, no kidding! Even for the inexperienced home baker, Jeff and Zoe's system is virtually foolproof. Each minimal ingredient recipe each provides you with enough dough to bake 3-4 full-sized loaves over a period of 5-14 days. Mix the batch of dough. Until you want a freshly baked loaf, the dough remains refrigerated. You may also cut off smaller pieces of dough as you need a few sandwich rolls or at dinner for two a small baguette. Surprisingly, with their challah and brioche sweet dough recipes, you will be able to have donuts, pastries and breakfast buns freshly baked at a moment's notice.

Within the first few days of reading Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, I mixed and baked not only the basic master recipe, but also the Italian Semolina and the Vermont Cheddar breads. In our household they were so well received, that all the batches are already gone. It is doubtful that any of the recipes will last in our refrigerator any where near the specified shelf life.

The chapters in Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day are introduced with a master (basic) dough recipe. Each master recipe is followed by several simple ingredient or baking technique variations. Then specific sandwich or serving suggestions are explained.

As well as traditional white and whole wheat sandwich loaves, all of the most anticipated bread styles are included: batard, baguette, ciabatta, rye and pumpernickel. The peasant loaf chapter offers many hearty whole grain ingredient recipes. The spontaneity of the Hertzberg-Francois bread baking system is the very essence of pizza cravings. Once the dough is in the refrigerator, the flatbread chapter enables pizza lovers to indulge themselves in a short period of time. Having a yeast tooth rather than a sweet tooth, I still highly suggest you delve into Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day's enriched breads and pastries chapter. Satisfying favorites are prepared and stored in the same way, but freshly baked challah, brioche, pecan rolls and beignets will waif from your kitchen. And, chocolate fanciers have not been ignored.

With this truly about face approach toward the normally time-constrictive, attention-intensive bread baking methods and lore of bygone days, please relax and indulge yourself and your loved ones. Their system will not disappoint.


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The Free Library of New Hope and Solebury is delighted to announce the winners of the 2008 Summer Writing Contests. The theme this year was Catch the Reading Bug (at your library). Some day these guys will be writing your news stories, novels, and favorite movies. Keep an eye out!

There is an extra special honorable mention awarded to Chris O’Brien, the only preschooler to participate, for his book Library.

Kindergarten/Grade 1 Winners:
Zach Griffiths – Grand Prize Winner for Ladybugs
Raymond Brady - Best Adventure Story for Home Sweet Home
Gianna Ferlazzo – Best Summer Vacation Story fo My Day at Avon by the Sea
Sophia Francesco – Most Stories Written for The Egg and the Chick, The Numbers Book, and the Colors Book
Samantha Frank – Most Beautiful Bug Story for The Bugs I Love
Morgan Miele – Most Creative Design for The Bug Book
Harrison Missell – Most Creative Fable for The Tortoise Beats the Hare at the Finish Line
Kevin O’Brien – Best Travel Story for 17 Hours to Disney World

Grades 2 - 4 Winners:
Aaron Frank – Grand Prize Winner for If Flies Played Baseball
Dana Bandurick – Best Illustration for Little Worm
Anthony Ferlazzo – Best Biographical Story for A Fun Day at the Midway Fair
Hannah Mailer – Most Creative Un-Written Story for her performance art story
Parker Miele – Most Exciting Story for Bugs
Zach Nangle – Best Research and Very Best Title for Would You Be a Wood Bee?
Emily Walton – Best Family Album for Family and Bugs

Winners from the Young Writers’ Reading Club:
Hannah Jordan – First Prize for Just Around the Corner
Sarah Summerson – Second Prize – Girls at Jackson Forest
Helena Penfold – Third Prize for Crimson Fangs
Isabella Farina – Honorable Mention for Where the Jewels Go So Do You
Daniel Fendler – Honorable Mention for The Shrink Ray and Me
Nicholas Leuser – Honorable Mention for Delaware